Mohammed Shahid Miah, The Journalistic News Desk: In her first major public address since fleeing to India following the mass uprisings of 2024, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appeared via a virtual audio conference with the Foreign Correspondents’ Club South Asia (FCC South). Joined by her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Hasina delivered a scathing critique of the current administration, detailed a grim economic and security downturn in Bangladesh, and declared her unwavering intent to return to her homeland regardless of legal threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bSpeaking as both a five-time former Prime Minister and the daughter of the nation\u2019s founding father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina expressed profound gratitude to journalists covering Bangladesh under difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bAddressing her future and the possibility of facing arrest or trial upon her return, Hasina adopted a defiant tone, emphasizing that personal safety no longer dictates her actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u200b”My life has long gone beyond calculations of personal security! Even the August 21 grenade attack in 2004 could not stop me. Therefore, I am not worried about my own future. I am worried about the future of Bangladesh.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u200bShe stressed that her expected return is not merely about political power, but about restoring the country to its constitutional and democratic path:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- \u200bCommitment to the People:<\/strong> “I want to return to Bangladesh with a single purpose\u2014to stand by the people and improve their lives… I know I may be detained, sent to prison, and attempts may be made to execute fabricated judgments. But fear can never determine my duty to the people.”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bDemocratic Restoration:<\/strong> She maintained that her return and the reentry of the Awami League into the democratic process are essential to revive the nation’s development, secularism, and stability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\u200bReframing the 2024 July\u2013August Uprising<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u200bReflecting on the protests that led to her ouster, Hasina firmly rejected the characterization of the events as a purely peaceful student movement. Instead, she described it as a calculated, coordinated conspiracy designed to unseat her government through violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- \u200bThe Quota Controversy:<\/strong> Noting that her government had successfully canceled the quota system back in 2018, she explained that the administration only appealed the 2024 High Court ruling to uphold that cancellation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bHijacked Intentions:<\/strong> Hasina claimed that organized groups exploited genuine student sentiments, turning legitimate grievances into a violent campaign demanding her single-point resignation. She cited instances of widespread arson, attacks on media outlets (including around 50 press offices), and massive infrastructure destruction targeting state assets like the BTV building, metro rail stations, and specialized hospitals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bLaw Enforcement Response:<\/strong> Defending the actions of security forces, Hasina noted that approximately 3,000 police personnel suffered severe violence, injuries, or death during the unrest, pointing out that the state had a fundamental obligation to protect public life and property against armed attacks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\u200bA Grim Assessment of the Current Situation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u200bHasina painted a dark picture of present-day Bangladesh under the interim\/subsequent leadership, warning that the nation is sliding backward into political terror, economic instability, and rising militancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- \u200bPolitical Persecution:<\/strong> She alleged that the suppression has continued long past August 5, 2024. According to her figures, nearly 650,000 people have been arrested<\/strong>, around 3,500 cases filed<\/strong>, and roughly 450,000 party members named<\/strong> alongside over a million unnamed individuals, with Hasina herself facing more than 600 cases. Female workers of the Awami League and its wings have faced systemic harassment and abuse in custody.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bEconomic Freefall:<\/strong> Hasina highlighted a sharp reversal of the economic growth achieved during her 16-year tenure:\n
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- \u200bGDP growth has reportedly dropped from 6.8% to 2.2%.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bIndustrial growth has hit negative territory for the first time in 54 years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bNon-performing bank loans have surged from 30% to 47%.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bPoverty rates have spiked from 18.6% to 46.8%, with over 20 million new unemployed citizens and more than 500 shuttered factories.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bErosion of Liberation Values:<\/strong> Hasina condemned the targeting of cultural and historical symbols, specifically mentioning the attacks on Bangabandhu\u2019s historic residence and museum at Dhanmondi 32, the release of convicted war criminals and militants, and the widespread targeting of minority communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\u200bCore Demands and International Appeal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u200bConcluding her briefing, Hasina laid out a series of non-negotiable steps required to rescue Bangladesh from its current trajectory:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- \u200bLift the ban<\/strong> on the Awami League.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bRelease<\/strong> all political prisoners and drop false cases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bRestore<\/strong> absolute freedom of speech, media independence, and judicial autonomy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bEnsure law enforcement agencies operate in service of the citizens rather than for political victimization.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
\u200bAppealing directly to the international community, she urged global partners and democratic nations to support the Bangladeshi people in their struggle for justice, rule of law, and peace, warning that a destabilized Bangladesh poses a regional threat to security and economic progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bThe briefing concluded with Hasina reaffirming her deep trust in the public, signing off with the traditional slogans: “”Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bangladesh Government and Public Reaction & Response<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u200bThe virtual press briefing held by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from New Delhi triggered an immediate, sharp backlash from the Government of Bangladesh, civil society, and the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bOfficial Government Stance and Diplomatic Outrage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u200bThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Bangladesh<\/strong> issued a strongly worded statement expressing deep “outrage” and regret over the event:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- \u200bAffront to Sovereignty:<\/strong> Dhaka condemned the media interaction\u2014deliberately timed around the anniversary of the 2024 uprising\u2014as a direct insult to national sovereignty and a “grievous insult to the martyrs of the July Revolution”.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bDisappointment with New Delhi:<\/strong> The Bangladeshi government stated it had explicitly communicated its concerns to Indian authorities prior to the event regarding its potential to damage bilateral ties. Dhaka expressed frustration that India permitted the platform, calling it “detrimental to the development of harmonious bilateral relations”.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bExtradition Demands Reiterated:<\/strong> Highlighting that Hasina was convicted in absentia and sentenced to death by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity, the foreign ministry criticized India for failing to respond to repeated extradition requests under the 2013 bilateral Extradition Treaty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u200bRejection of Historical Revisionism:<\/strong> The government rejected Hasina’s claims regarding the 2024 uprising, labeling her statements a “futile attempt to rewrite history” and denying the well-documented UN findings concerning civilian and child casualties during the crackdown.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\u200bPublic Sentiment and Domestic Response<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mohammed Shahid Miah, The Journalistic News Desk: In her first major public address since fleeing to India following the mass uprisings of 2024, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appeared via a virtual audio conference with the Foreign Correspondents’ Club South Asia (FCC South). Joined by her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Hasina delivered a scathing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1196,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sb_editor_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-world-news"],"relative_dates":{"created":"2 days ago","modified":"2 days ago"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejournalistic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejournalistic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejournalistic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejournalistic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejournalistic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1194"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thejournalistic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1197,"href":"https:\/\/thejournalistic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1194\/revisions\/1197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejournalistic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejournalistic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejournalistic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejournalistic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}